Chord-playing attachment for keyboard instruments.



G. L. REYNOLDS. I CHORD PLAYING ATTACHMENT FOR KEYBOARD INSTRUMENTS.1,300,878.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 8. I916 Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

e. 1. REYNOLDS. CHORD PLAYING ATTACHMENT FOR KEYBOABD INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 8-, I9l6. 1,300,878. Patented Apr. 15,1919.3'SHEETSSH.EET 2.

G. L. REYNOLDS. CHORD PLAYING ATTACHMENT FOR KEYBOARD msmumams.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 3, 1916. 1 ,300,878, Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

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in: new"; ":1 N w u N N a GEORGE L. REYNOLDS, OF EAST BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS.

CHORD-PLAYING ATTACHMENT FOR KEYBOARD INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 15,1919.

Application filed Dec-ember 8, 1916. Serial N 0. 135,864.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. REYNOLDS, a citizen of the United States,residing at East Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inChord-Playing Attachments for Keyboard Instruments, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The present invention is a designed primarily as a transposableattachment for piano keyboards by means of which harmonic chords in anykey may be mechanically played especially by one who is unacquaintedwith or unskilled in the art of playing accompaniment chords on thistype of instrument. It is particularly useful as a means of instruction,not only enabling the novice to produce proper chord combinations butalso to build up others, and it is by virtue of its construction andarrangement a manually operated self instructor for not only visibly but.audibly demonstrating the proper tones required to obtain chordconstruction, harmony and mixed chords in any of the twelve musicalkeys.

To this end the invention consists of a boxlike body or support havingmounted there on a series of manually operated keys arranged over theinstrument keyboard in such relation thereto that a chord will be playedupon depression of a single key through the instrumentality of a chordbar.

The apparatus has also two other important features; first the provisionof means for holding the attachment against displace, ment at apredetermined position on the keyboard of the instrument to which it isattached and, second, the provision of a detachable indicator or chartarranged in proper relation to the chord keys above re ferred to bymeans of which the operator or player may readily determine the properbass note or notes which are to be used in the chord combination.

With the above and other objects in view, this invention consists in theconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts all as hereinaftermore fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of an embodiment of this invention inposition upon the keyboard of a piano.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan showing the foldable wing members used with thedevice in locked folded position, the chord bars excepting one onlybeing omitted for the purpose of clearness.

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional. vlew.

Fig.- 5 is a transverse sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a detailed view showing a leveling block or member used withthis device.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the fastening means provided forholding the apparatus in position.

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view showing the method of progression used inthe manipulation of the chord playing keys of the apparatus.

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic illustration showing the piano keys which areplayed by depression of the chord playing keys or buttons mounted uponthe attachment with the associated chart indicia.

Throughout the following detail description. and on the several figuresof the drawings, similar parts are referred to by like referencecharacters. I

Referring to the drawings and specifically describing this invention.101 designates the piano keyboard on which the apparatus forming thesubject matter of this invention is positioned, said keyboard comprisingthe usual black and. white keys. The attachment comprises a boxlikesupport 102 in which are mounted a series of manually operated keys orbuttons, said keys being arranged in distinct rows and each beingoperable to play a single chord.

Referring to Fig. 4' and describing the construction utilized forplaying a chord, 103 indicates a depressible key or button. preferablyspring-actuated, projecting through the surface of the support 102, saidkey having a stem' 104 which extends through a guide partition 105, andwhich is .connected to a pressure distributing bar 106 which constitutesa lever by means of which a chord bar 107 may be depressed. The

pressure distributing bar 106, it will be noted, is formed withanextension or fulcrum point 108 arranged in spaced relation to the keyconnectedtherewith and on the upper edge of said bar, while on theopposite or lower edge a similar extension bears against the upper edgeof the chord bar 107 intermediate its length. One only of such pressurebars-and one only-of the chord bars need be described.

The chord bar 107 at its lower edge is provided with a series of buttons110 preferably tippedand designed to coact' with the piano keys 101 inplaying a predetermined chord, said elements 110 being arranged atproper intervals for this purpose.

As shown -.most .clearlyin Fig. 3 of the drawings, the support 102 ispartitioned longitudinallyby thin strips 111 spaced'a sufficientdistance-apart to accommodate the pressure bar 106 and chord bar 10'which are guided and held in proper posltion by such partitions.

which retain the partitions as well as prevent the chord bars 107 fromdropping .out

when the apparatus is lifted from its posi tion on an instrumentkeyboard.

Referring now:v to the means. which I.

preferably provide for holding the device at a predetermined positionupon .the instrument keyboard, it will be noted that at each end issecured a thin locking blade1l3, each of which is slotted at 114 toreceive a clamp ing screw 15 having threaded connection with thesupport. This lockingblade may be of suitable. material such as metalproperly wrapped if desired with fabric, and the blade is adapted to beinserted into an inter stice between a pair of keys-as shown in Figs. 4and 5, the blade being lowered until it contacts withthe frame of theinstrument beneath the keys and locked in such position by tighteningthe clamping screw 15. The blades are designed to assist .in supportingthe device and by reason of the slotted construction the support mayberaised or'low ered as desired. These blades are primarily designed toprevent lateral displacement of the device.

The rear Win02 of the support ,is prosions 16 pivot-ally connected at 17and foldable against the ends of the support when the attachment. is notin use. pro ect longitudinally of the instrumentkeyboard :when inunfoldedpositio-n as. shown in Fig.1and are also seated in rear of theblackkeys, they together with the flange. 102 preventingdisplacement ofthe. sup w port forwardly; r

An additional means for securely holdingr.

this attachment in placeis providedv and consists of a slottedbar' 18attached to the upper. surface-of the supportpby means of a clamp Theends of the support have secured therebeneath narrow strips 112 Thesewings -piano when it is desired to place-the attachment in position foruse. The several instrumentalities just described obviously hold theattachment from disarrangement, when once the apparatus has been placedmp0stion for playing. 1

It will benoted that each of the locking blades is formed with a hook113' at its'upper end which is provided "for holding the 'foldableextension 16=adjacentthereto when the attachment is to be packed or whenthe device is not in useHTo securethe locking of this extension the setscrew 15 holding the xbladeis released and .the blade turned about saidscrew as a pivot into the dotted line position shown in Fig. 5, thehooked extremity thereof being engaged withthe forward edge of theextension 16.

Forthe purposes more particularly referred to hereinafter I provide anindicator or chart 21 designed to assist the player in determining .theproper bass note which is to be played with a'certain chord key carried7 by the =-support. formed at one edge an angular flange 22,

said flange being provided withan open endedslot 23 so-that said=fiangemay be inthe support 102. Therear edge ofthe indicator,21 rests upon thelateralextension 16 at that-end of the support, saidextension Thisindicator 21 has .terlocked with the set screw 19 at oneside of I havinga projection 2a engageable in a suitable notch in rear-edge of thelndlcator as shown most clearly in Fig. 1. This indicator is supplied onits surface with aseries'of' longltudinal llnes 25 wlncheorrespond withsimilar lines 26 on the supportf102fthe sur faces thus being dividedinto spaces. The in-' dicatorg-furthermore, is lined transversely asindicated at 27, the .spaces between the lines thus formed"correspondingwith the .posi

. tion of certaininstrument keys 101 therebeneath. The support 102 isprovidedwith certain legendsor indiciaarranged at one 'side ofthezrespective kevs thereon-= which --indicia are arranged, as will'beseen from the. "description of the use 'of the device hereinafter, intheir proper sequence or musical gradation. ..-The legends consistspreferably 0 of a large numeral and a small numeral con- .tiguous tocertain of the large numerals and these bear a dlstinct relation tothesinnlar characters employedon the indicator chart 21.

Describingnow the use of the apparatus,

:the support 102 is positioned upon the in-s.

strument keyboardata point determined by the operator accordingtothe-keynote in" which the chords are to be played. Assumport so that thepointer 28 on the face of the support is over the key of C on the pianoinstrument keyboard. A series of leveling or filling pieces one of whichis shown in Fig. 6 and designated 112' are placed on the white keyswhich lie under the support thus bringing the surface of the white keyson a level with the surface of the black keys. Said leveling pieces areprovided with projections 112 at one side to hold them fromdisplacementand the forward extremity is notched as indicated at 112 soas not to interfere with the playing of the black keys of the pianoeasily by the fingers while the apparatus is in position.

The locking blades 113 are now pressed downwardly between the piano keysuntil they contact with the piano frame and the set screws fastened tohold said blades in this position. The wings 16 having first beenunfolded lie between the black keys and the vacuum tipped bars aresecured against the fall board. The chart or indicator 21 is thensecured in position at one side of the support 102. The device is now inposition for use in the playing of chords.

It will be noted in Fig. 1 that the keys of the support 102 are arrangedin distinct diagonal rows and for the purposes of describing the use ofthis attachment it will be stat-ed that the buttons of the first ofthese rows beginning from the left hand side produce major chords, saidrow being designated a. These keys it will furthermore be observed aredesignated by odd numbers and lie substantially on the lines 26. Thekeys of the third row of keys 0 produce minor chords and are alsopositioned substantially on the lines 26, and are designated with oddnumbers. The keys of the second and fourth rows 5 and (1 respectivelyproduce the dominant or diminished chords of. the sevenths of therespective major and minor chords that may be played through thedepression of the keys in rows a and 0. The second and fourth rows ofkeys, it may be further added, are positioned in the spaces between thelines 26 and are designated by even numbers.

By referring to Fig. 9 of the drawings the manner in which the unskilledoperator is able to play predetermined chords will be understood. Forexample. if the chordplayiug key or button on the attachment which hasadjacent thereto the reference character 8 is depressed the keys of thepiano which are depressed are indicated by the cross marks on the lineextending from the said button which will be observed to be G. B fiat.E. The chart numerals or indicia which are to be used with thisparticular chord playing key to determine the bass note are in line withthis button on the chart. Thus the numeral 8 is disposed above thepianokey C. This is the fundamental bass note key for playing of thischord; or it would be satisfactory to play the alternative bass noteindicated by the small reference numeral 8 which is the piano key G.

in this Fig. 9 it is to be understood that the lines extending from thebutton designations are not those shown in Fig. 1 but are for thepurpose of facilitating the reading of the indicia in this figure and ofcourse in the depiction of the invention in Fig. l, for example, do notappear, such not being necessary because the arrangement of the buttonsor keys on the surface of both the attachment and the chart connectedtherewith, amply suflices for guidance.

This particular arrangement aids in locating any major or minor chordtogether with the dominant or diminished chords of the seventh. In theplaying of the chords a definite rule applies as will now be described.Assuming, for example, that the device is locked in place at the key ofC on the piano keyboard. The key designated by the legend 5 of the firstrow a, would play G major chord, the key designated by the legend 4 inthe second row 6, dominant chord of the seventh, and the key designatedby the legend 1 in the first row would play C major chord. Or, again, bypressing the chord key designated by the legend 1 in the first row a,the operator would play correctly C major chord; follow this bydepressing the key marked 2 in the second row 6, the dominant chord ofthe seventh would be produced; and then by pressing the key designated 3in the first row a, F major chord is produced. This same method ofplaying may be followed in playing minor chords and by referring to thediagrammatic View in Figs. 8 and 9, it will be obvious to those skilledin the art of music that all the principal chords may easily be obtainedby the player automatically and without necessitating a knowledge ofmusic to produce the same. The advantages of this device may also beevidenced by mentioning the fact that the player will be able to observethe keys which are depressed by any one of the chord keys and may placehis fingers upon said keys and thus manually actuate the keys of theinstrument keyboard direct, obtaining in this manner the properinstruction for }ascertaining the necessary keys which are to form apredetermined chord.

As hereinbefore referred to the indicator chart 21 bears indiciaconsisting of large and small numerical legends. In playingaccompaniments it is essential to give an alternative or counterbass andin order that the novice may learn which is the fundamental tone, andthe alternative which would harmonize substantially as well, the size ofthe legend is utilized to emphasize this significance. In depressing anyone of the chord keys on the support 192- the player will discern thelegend beside the same and the line or space which is occupied by saidkey and legend; following the line over to the indicator chart 21 theproper bass note for that particular chord will be ascertained forplaying the key of the piano instrument which lies beneath the legendcorresponding to the legend beside the chord key. After becomingproficient the player may play the bass section in octaves,

For the purpose of convenience and as an aid in building of extra chordsthe spaces on the indicator chart are preferably provided withalphabetical letters beginning with H and ending with S, the letteringstarting above the musical notation running from A to G so that noconfusion may-occur as to the meaning of such note or key.

It will be apparent that the apparatus which forms the subjectmatter ofthis invention may be conveniently packed into a small compass bydisconnecting the indicator chart'Ql and placing on its surface theleveling keys side by side and closing the extensions against the sidesof the support. The chart thus forms a tray for holding the levelingkeys in a convenient form.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new is:

1. The combination with a musical instrument including keys, of anattachment therefor for playing chords comprising a support adapted fordisposition over the keys aforesaid, chord bars mounted on said supportand arranged to operate certain of said keys, keys disposed over saidbars each adapted for operating a certain chord bar, and a pressuremember 'disposedover each chord bar and beneath the key for operatingsaid bar, said pressure member having a contact point at one edgecontacting with the chord bar and a contact point at its opposite edgecontacting with the support. 7

2. The combination with a musical instrument including keys, of anattachment therefor for playing chords comprising a support adapted fordisposition over the keys aforesaid, chord bars mounted on said supportand arranged to operate certain of said keys, keys disposed over saidbars'each adapted for operating a certain chord'bar, and a series ofpressure members to which the respective last mentioned .keys arefixedly attached, each of said pressure 'members having a projection onone edge contacting with its chord bar centrally thereof and aprojection on itsother'edge contacting with the support.

3. The combination with a keyboard musical instrument, of an attachmentfor playing chords comprising a support, keys mounted thereon, a? guidefor the keys, chordbars arranged over the instrument keys, and pressuredistributing bars intermediate the first mentioned keys and the chordbar's, each hearing at one side against the guide and at 'chordscomprisinga support, keys mounted thereon, a partitlon arranged beneaththe support in spaced relation to the surface of the same andconstituting guide means for the keys, springs intermediate said'partition and the support for actuating the keys, chord bars arrangedover the instrument keys, and pressure distributing bars to which thefirst mentioned keys are'connected, said pressure bars being arrangedtocontact with the chord bars for actuating the latter upon depression ofthe keys. I I

5. The combination with a keyboard musical instrument, of an attachmenttherefor for playing chords, said attachment com prising a support, aseries of chord-playing keys mounted thereon and operable by one hand,indicia arranged contiguous to the respective chord keys, and achartindicator carried by said support also bearing indicia signifyingto the operator'the proper bass note key of the instrument keyboard tobe played with a predetermined chord key of the attachment.

6. The combination with a keyboard musi cal instrument, of an attachmentfor playing chords comprising a support adapted for disposition over theinstrument keyboard, and means for holding the attachment againstdisplacement at a predetermined position on the keyboard, comprising ablade member adjustable vertically with respect to the attachment andinsertible into an interstice between the instrument keys into contactWith the instrument frame therebeneath whereby the Weight of saidattachment is sustained by said frame.

7. The combination with a keyboard musical instrument, of an attachmentfor playing chords comprising a: support'adapted for ing chordscomprising a support adapted to be disposed upon the instrumentkeyboard, extensions connected to the support for hold-' ing theattachment against displacement,

and locking means engageablewiththe extensions to hold the same ininoperative position when the device is not in cooperative position onthe keyboard.

9; The combination with a keyboard mu sical instrument, of an attachmentfor play ing chords comprising a support adapted to be disposed upon theinstrument keyboard, extensions connected to the support for h01ding theattachment against displacement, and locking means engageable with theextensions to hold the same in inoperative position when the device isnot in cooperative osition on the keyboard, said last-mentioned meansconstituting locking means engageable with the keyboard for holding thedevice against displacement.

10. An attachment for playing chords comprising a support, a pluralityof chordplaying keys carried thereby, means for holding said support incooperative relation with respect to the instrument keys com prisinglocking blades adjustably secured to said support for raising andlowering the attachment with respect to said keyboard.

11. An attachment for musical instruments comprising a support having a:series of lines marked on its surface dividing the same into spaces,chord playing keys arranged thereon in two groups, the keys of one groupon the lines and the keys of the other between the lines, each key ofthe second group being disposed in juxtaposed relation to a pair of keysof the first mentioned group, and operable to produce the dominant ordiminished chords of the sevenths of the keys of the first mentionedgroup. I

12. The combination with a keyboard musical instrument, of an attachmenttherefor for playing chords comprising a support, a series of chordplaying keys mounted thereon and operable by one hand, and means carriedon said support for indicating the bass key of the instrument keyboardto be played by the other hand with a predetermined chord key of theattachment.

13. The combination with a keyboard musical instrument, of an attachmenttherefor for playing chords comprising a support, a series of chordplaying keys mounted thereon, and operable by one hand, and a chartindicator detachably connected to said support for indicating thefundamental and alternative bass note key of the instrument keyboard tobe played by the other hand with a predetermined chord key of theattachment.

14. The combination with a keyboard musical instrument, of an attachmentfor playing chords comprising a support adapted for disposition over theinstrument keyboard, and means for holding the attachment againstdisplacement at a predetermined position on the keyboard, comprisinglocking blades adapted to be inserted into the interstices between theinstrument keys and to rest upon the instrument bed to sustain theweight of the attachment.

15. The combination with a keyboard musical instrument, of an attachmenttherefor for playing chords, said attachment comprising a support havinga series of chordkeys thereon, means for holding said support againstdisplacement on the instrument keyboard, and a chart indicator forindicating the proper keys of the instrument to be played inaccompaniment with the chord keys, said supporting means constitutingalso a support for the indicator chart.

16. 'An attachment for playing chords on a keyboard instrumentcomprising a support, a series of chord-playing keys mounted thereon,means for holding the support in association with the keyboardinstrument, said means comprising foldable extensions and lockingblades, said locking blades being movably mounted for engaging theextensions when the latter are in folded position with respect to thesupport.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

GEORGE L. REYNOLDS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of I'atents.

' Washington, D. 0.

